The current satellite telecommunication systems with multispot coverage generally have a capacity (frequency band and power assigned to each spot) which is fixed for each spot and which cannot therefore be modified after the satellite has been launched. In particular, it is not possible to reallocate unused traffic capacity from one spot to another spot during the life of the satellite. The fixed distribution of the capacity is all the more detrimental since the lifespan of a satellite is very long (of the order of fifteen years) and it is therefore difficult for an operator to estimate trends, over time, of the capacity needs corresponding to each area of the coverage. This potentially leads to problems of overcapacity in certain areas and of under capacity in other areas of the coverage.
There are telecommunication systems which include a flexibility mechanism, but these systems use either digital processors or processors operating in intermediate frequency IF band which present the drawbacks of being costly, complex and limited in bandwidth.